Leadership Style of Emma Walmsley, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline

This report discusses the leadership style of Emma Walmsley, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, who follows a Transactional Leadership Approach. Walmsley is described as a modern, strong, and dynamic leader who combines an amiable style with a steely focus. She sets clear objectives and pays close attention to talent management, but can be ruthless with underperformers. Walmsley has been recognized for her performance, topping Fortune Magazine’s list of ‘Most Powerful International Women’ in business in 2018. She does not tolerate ethical violations and expects employees to perform their jobs ethically. With her transactional approach to leadership, Walmsley has been able to motivate employees to become productive and efficient members of the team.

Running head: LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT
Question 1
The leader who has been selected for the respective report is Emma Walmsley
wherein the leadership style followed by her is Transactional Leadership Approach. The
different employees working in the organization describe the CEO of GlaxoSmithKline as
modern, strong and dynamic leader who tries to mix an amiable style with the steely kind of
focus.
Furthermore, the objectives which are being set by her are clear and she pays major
attention on talent management, however she can be ruthless to the underperformers. Due to
the commendable performance, in the year 2018, Walmsley has topped the Fortune
Magazine’s list of being the ‘Most Powerful International Women’ in business (Financial
Times.com 2019). It has been noticed that Emma Walmsley did not tolerate any ethical
violations and she expected the employees to perform the different aspects of the job ethically
and lead an example for the other companies.
With the transactional approach of leadership, Walmsley has been able to motivate
the employees in becoming productive along with efficient members of the team
(Fortune.com 2019). Walmsley has been able to develop a clear structure in which the
different employees are informed before-hand regarding the expectations of the company.
With the help of the short-term planning which is the aspect of the respective style of
leadership, the management has been able to ensure that vision of the company is realized
andvalue driven decision-making has been the main focus that led to success of the
company. Lastly, Walmsley encouraged initiative from employees and she led the same
through becoming leader and became an example for the other individuals (Bird and Waters
1989).

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Question 2
From the respective article Winchester (2018), the ethical leaders are the defined as
the ones who are straightforward to describe. The ethical leaders are the ones who are moral
person, holds to set of values in a consistent manner and they are treated as the person of
integrity who treats all the individuals in the organization in a polite and respectful manner.
The different ethical leaders become the exemplary model to many individuals as they keep
and follow ethics through proper and consistent communication prospects. However, there
are few aspects which are negative aspects of the ethical leaders wherein they demand a lot
and at times it is not possible to achieve the same. (Winchester 2018).
The two concepts in respect to ethics which can be applied for the leadership aspect
followed by Emma Walmsley are as follows:
Utilitarianism is one of the ethical theories and concepts which is treated as the moral
theory and it works as the form of consequentialism that helps the different individuals in to
assess whether the decision taken by them is good or bad for the business. Utilitarianism is
not about the individual self-interest and the same is being followed by Emma Walmsley
(Mill 2015, p. 22). Emma Walmsley mainly focused on understanding the different needs of
the employees and motivating them in performing the tasks in an efficient manner. As the
performance of GSK was not effective, Walmsley tried to improve the situation by tackling
the different activities which were conducted at GSK.
It is treated as the golden rule of the ethics which is being followed in the workplace.
It is one of the major concepts which is treated as the aspect which is for the overall welfare
and happiness of the different employees and organization as well.

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Furthermore, with the help of the Utilitarianism, it helps in offering various solutions
to the different dilemmas which are being faced by the company through the help of the
leaders present in the company. The major element which is required to analyzed in applying
Utilitarianism is aggregation and application of the utility to the operations is individualism.
The major principle of individualism is that happiness of the individuals plays a major role,
thus engaging into the different actions will be including increased profits and increased
satisfaction level of the employees who are the major assets of the business (Brown 2003).
With the implementation of the same at GSK, Utilitarianism helps in setting the
stringent ethical standards which had been done by Walmsley which helped in influencing
the behavior of the different employees working in the organization (Northouse 2018). Proper
training was being provided by the CEO of the company through inclusion of enhancement of
the teamwork and productivity (Mill 2015 p. 26). Due to inclusion of the various programs by
Walmsley at GSK, it helped in increasing the profitability of GSK and it helped in creating
positive brand image of the company in the entire society. The CEO Walmsley felt that the
Utilitarianism is one of the ethical approaches which can be implemented by the company in
a positive manner and it is straightforward in nature.
However, there are few issues in the Utilitarianism aspect wherein it was being
noticed that the entire organization GSK and the employees were not able to predict the
future and could not make accurate judgment regarding the decisions taken by them.
Moreover, due to the usage of the Utilitarianism concept, it could lead to missing out of the
various opportunities that affected the overall growth of the firm. It has been noticed due to
the implementation of the respective aspect at GSK, it was difficult to analyze the different
viewpoints of the different employees working at GSK (Habermas 1984). As everyone is
wired in a different and unique manner, favoritism had been generated and Walmsley
considered the viewpoints of only few people that affected the overall growth of the firm.

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The other concept which have been analyzed is Confirmation Bias wherein it has
been noticed that Emma Walmsley has been bias towards the overall decision-making
process which had been undertaken by her. As the concept of confirmation bias, the main
aspect is the overall tendency to selectively search and recall and consider the various
information which confirms the belief of the respective person. The similar aspect was being
followed by Emma Walmsley wherein the actual result which was being used in the process
of decision-making is the viewpoint of the CEO itself (Scarfolk Council 2017 p. 61).
As per the confirmation bias, the CEO of GSK, Emma Walmsley tried to implement
the different decisions which she felt was right and the decisions which were showcased were
not considered (Cunliffe and Eriksen 2011). However, Emma Walmsley motivated the
employees, on the contrary, regarding the decision-making approach was being handled
entirely by her as she felt that her experience is more than the employees and it should not
coincide with their preconceived notions as well.
Due to the following of the same approach, it led to the various statistical errors in the
organization. With the help of the attachment of the past experience and self-interest, Emma
Walmsley had taken decisions that led to different difficulties for the company (Scarfolk
Council 2017 p. 61). Walmsley was required to boost the overall morale of the different
employees working in the organizations as they are the assets of GSK, as it has been poorer
in nature in comparison to other pharmaceutical companies which are present in the market.
Walmsley was required to ensure that the launch of the different products with the approval
of the different employees, however the entire process did not take place with the approval of
employees, as Walmsley tried to take the different decisions himself and this led to the failure
of the different activities of the pharmaceutical company. (Scarfolk Council 2017 p. 61).

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In addition to the same, it was being noticed that due to the confirmation bias
followed by Walmsley, it was being noticed that there was creation of biased viewpoint
towards the viewpoint of the different individuals which are held by them. Walmsley tried to
restrict the search of information and there was selective interpretation of the information
which led to the failure of the various objectives which were undertaken by the company for
the improvement of the objectives which are required to be achieved by the company.
Moreover, it has been noticed that Walmsley showcased favoritism among the employees,
which led to the left out feeling among the other employees and it affected their morale and
they did not take part in the decision-making process which were related to the organizational
decisions (Fryer 2012).
From the above two aspects followed by Emma Walmsley, it can be identified that
due to the confirmation bias, it led to the various issues which led to the inefficiency of the
firm. It can be analyzed that the respective CEO needs to utilize the Utilitarianism in
Business related practices as it is moral theory and it works as the form of consequentialism.
Furthermore, it will be helpful for the different individuals to assess whether the action is
good for the overall business or bad for the overall business-related activities (Scarfolk
Council 2017 p. 61). The major issue in the confirmation bias aspect is that the CEO was
largely unaware of the fact that the decisions which were being undertaken by her can disrupt
the overall process of thinking in the organization in a negative manner and it will be causing
inefficiency in the process of the business-related activities.
Walmsley needs to reduce the application of Confirmation Bias approach in
performing and commencing the different business activities as it is not a flexible approach as
the viewpoints of the employees are not considered in the process of decision-making
process. The CEO of Walmsley needs to be flexible in the approach of decision-making as it
will be beneficial for the improving the morale of employees and increasing the overall

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productivity and profitability of the company (Gabriel 2015). In addition to the same, it was
being noticed that the CEO was cooperative and the main motive was the overall success of
the company through incorporation of the different strategies which will be beneficial for the
overall success of the firm.
Lastly, with the implementation of the Utilitarianism in Business prospects, it will be
helpful for the business to help with the tough choices through the application of the
respective theory of ethics and the employees will be able to think rationally regarding the
different decisions which are being undertaken by them which will be lead to the success of
the company.
Question 3
From the above instances, it can be identified and analyzed that Emma Walmsley is
one of the most ethical and strong leaders whose main aim is to gain the competitive
advantage and success in the overall competitive business environment. However, there were
few issues which affected the overall success of the firm and it affected the overall
competitiveness of the firm in a negative manner.
Tempered radicalism is one of the most appropriate leadership styles which can be
adopted by Emma Walmsley to improve the leadership practice to a certain extent which will
be one of the major aspects to improve the overall efficiency of the firm. The tempered
radicalism is one of the major aspects and practice which enables the people in placing the
ethics on the respective agenda and exerts moral type of leadership without risking any kind
of negative consequences (Meyerson 2004 p.66).
In few of the scenarios, it was being noticed that the CEO of the company followed
the Confirmation Bias approach in which the decisions which were finalised by her were the
ultimate ones and the decisions made by the other individuals were not taken into action as

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well. The proper practice of ethics as tempered radicalism is one of the main aspects which
will be incorporating the different changes in an accurate manner in an efficient manner.
Proper building of the strategic alliance is the aspect to result in substantial changes for
millions of the workers abroad and the major aim of the respective approach is to reduce the
biasness and it will take into consideration the different aspects of improving the overall
productivity and profitability of the firm accurately (Goodpaster 2007).
Proper integrity and trustworthiness are the two major approaches which should be
focused on in the respective concept. In order to improve the overall process of the decision-
making, it can be identified that there are few steps which should be helpful in improving the
overall scenario in a positive manner. Proper role modelling through proper and visible
actions can be one of the major considerations which should create influence on the
exemplary practices and communicate regarding ethics and values to all the employees who
are the part of the firm.

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References
Bird, F. B. and Waters, J. A. (1989) ‘The moral muteness of managers’, California
Management Review, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 73–88.
Brown, M. T. (2003) The Ethical Process: An Approach to Disagreements and Controversial
Issues, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Prentice Hall.
Cunliffe, A. L. and Eriksen, M. (2011) ‘Relational leadership’, Human Relations, vol. 64, no.
11, pp. 1425–49.
Financial Times.com 2019 GSK chief plans to shake up culture and competitiveness (online)
Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/8edd1054-6c9d-11e7-b9c7-15af748b60d0
[Accessed on 18 Mar 2019]
Fortune.com 2019 GSK’s New CEO Emma Walmsley Has a Strong Start Out of the Gate
(online) Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2018/06/08/gsk-ceo-emma-walmsley-
interview/[Accessed on 18 Mar 2019]
Fryer, M. (2012) ‘Facilitative leadership: drawing on Jürgen Habermas’ model of ideal
speech to proposealessimpositional way to lead’, Organization, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 25–43.
Gabriel, Y. (2015) ‘The caring leader – what followers expect of their leaders and why?’,
Leadership, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 316–34. Gilligan, C. (1982) In a Different Voice:
Psychological Theory and Women’s Development, Cambridge, Harvard University Press.
Goodpaster, K. E. (2007) Conscience and Corporate Culture, Oxford, Blackwell.
Habermas, J. (1984) The Theory of Communicative Action, Volume One: Reason and the
Rationalisation of Society, Cambridge, Polity Press.

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Meyerson, D. E. (2004) ‘The tempered radicals’, Stanford Social Innovation Review,
[Online]. Available at ssir.org/pdf/2004FA_feature_meyerson.pdf?q=tempered (Accessed 9
February 2018).
Mill, J. S. (2015) On Liberty, Utilitarianism and Other Essays, Philp, M. andRosen, F. (eds),
Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Scarfolk Council (2017) ‘Confirmation bias goggles (1970)’, Scarfolk Council, 29 June
[Blog]. Available at scarfolk.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/confirmation-biasgoggles-1970.html
(Accessed 9 February 2018).
Winchester.N., 2018 Readings Block 5: Ethics and leadership (online) Retrieved from The
Open University Business School (B208)

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Appendix
Media Stories and Newspaper Articles of Emma Walmsley
Figure 1: Interview of Emma Walmsley
Financial Times.com 2019 GSK chief plans to shake up culture and competitiveness (online)
Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/8edd1054-6c9d-11e7-b9c7-15af748b60d0
[Accessed on 18 Mar 2019]

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Figure 1: Interview of Emma Walmsley
(Source: Fortune.com 2019)
Fortune.com 2019 GSK’s New CEO Emma Walmsley Has a Strong Start Out of the Gate
(online) Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2018/06/08/gsk-ceo-emma-walmsley-
interview/[Accessed on 18 Mar 2019]